Nov-30-10 In New Jersey, Unemployment Insurance Claimants Will Continue to Collect Benefits After Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program Ends December 1

TRENTON, November 30, 2010 – As the deadline passes tonight for Congress to extend the deadline for federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation, the impact will not be felt immediately by New Jersey unemployment insurance (UI) claimants. The immediate impact in the Garden State will only be a reduction in the maximum number of benefit weeks available to New Jersey’s unemployed workers; currently a maximum of 99 weeks.

“All New Jersey claimants presently collecting any of the four tiers of the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) provided under the law that sunsets on November 30, will continue to receive benefits,” said Commissioner Harold J. Wirths.

After claiming all of the weeks of the federally funded tier they currently are on, these workers can claim up to 20 weeks of unemployment compensation under the Extended Benefits (EB) program presently in effect in New Jersey. Benefits under the EB program, which is triggered by high levels of unemployment in a state, normally are shared equally by the federal and state unemployment insurance programs. Under the expiring law, the federal unemployment insurance program has been paying 100 percent of EB compensation.

Commissioner Wirths said, “Now, with states having to pay half of the costs of EB benefits, trusts funds in states with higher unemployment will be hit even harder.”

While the federal EUC program was in effect, New Jersey’s unemployed workers could qualify for a maximum of 99 weeks of benefits – 26 weeks of regular state unemployment insurance compensation; 53 weeks total for the four federally funded EUC tiers; and up to 20 weeks of federally funded EB compensation.

Presently there are nearly 400,000 people claiming state or federal unemployment benefits in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is an equal employment opportunity employer and provides equal opportunity programs.
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